Safety Issues at my High School

[gafftaper]

If you are indeed in Boone, IA, as is being guessed, then CB member MPowers is near you, as is a branch of the company I work for. Either or both of us would be interested in helping, once things progress to the 'call a contractor' level, for either repairs or replacement parts.

Or I'm working on a new G's auditorium in West Dubuque and for a reasonable fee I could give you an objective analysis.

We can talk a lot here, but the only way to really help you is to get an expert in your theater to analyze things and give you a plan of action. These are both great solutions, Bill and Michael are both experts who can give you a professional impartial evaluation. Start separate private conversations with both @MPowers and @BillConnerASTC to see what it would cost to get a professional evaluation (we don't allow "sales" in public forums). If Bill's going to be in the area already and if Michael doesn't live that far away, both should be able to do it for a reasonable cost.

Another option would be to call a local theater, college, university and see if you can find a skilled technician to come in and give you some advice. This would probably cost less than bringing in Bill or Michael, but the results would be a lot less formal and wouldn't hold as much weight with the powers that be, compared to a report from Bill or Michael.

 

[MPowers]

Okay, thanks I am going to go talk to our shop teacher in the morning.

Although I no longer work for CLE, they are your closest authorized ETC dealer. Contact Jill Norris [email protected] or 515-277-4190 and she will be glad to help select what you really need and what will work best in your space. If you or your instructor call, please tell them I sent you. BTW did we install some new curtains there a couple of years ago??

 

[cdub260]

• Extension cords are able to be used in a theatre for an extended period of time, the 90 day thing does not apply simply because at any time they could be moved.
  • This is not written code to my knowledge, but in general the industry looks the other way....

The National Electrical Code addresses this issue.

NEC 2011 Article 520.5(B) Portable Equipment:

The wiring for portable switchboards, stage set lighting, stage effects, and other wiring not fixed as to location shall be permitted with approved flexible cords and cables as provided elsewhere in Article 520. Fastening such cables and cords by uninsulated staples or nailing shall not be permitted.

The key word here is portable. You may notice that the word temporary is not used at all in this article. That was deliberate on the part of the people who wrote this section of code. If the equipment can be relocated and is not bolted to the building walls, floor or ceiling, it's portable and can be powered with approved (another key word) flexible cords. There is no time frame given for how long these approved conductors are allowed to sit in place.

As far as what is approved:

NEC 2011 Article 520.68(A)(1):

Flexible conductors, including cable extensions, used to supply portable stage equipment shall be listed extra-hard usage cords or cables.

NEC 2011 Article 400, Table 400.4, Note 6:

Types G, G-GC, S, SC, SCE, SCT, SE, SEO, SEOO, SO, SOO, ST, STO, STOO, PPE and W shall be permitted for use on theater stages, in garages, and elsewhere where flexible cords are permitted by this code.

NEC 2011 Article 400, Table 400.4, Note 15:

Cords that comply with the requirements for outdoor cords and are so listed shall be permitted to be designated as weather and water resistant with the suffix "W" after the code type designation. Cords with the "W" suffix are suitable for use in wet conditions and are sunlight resistant.

Most of the cable in my inventory is labeled SOOW.

 

[TheaterEd]

So you can use an extension cord for many purposes, but your photo earlier implies that you are using SJ cords which are not allowed. I don't remember where, but I remember reading that they could be used for spans of less than 4 feet or something like that, but in my experience, these cords are generally much longer.

 

[cdub260]

So you can use an extension cord for many purposes, but your photo earlier implies that you are using SJ cords which are not allowed. I don't remember where, but I remember reading that they could be used for spans of less than 4 feet or something like that, but in my experience, these cords are generally much longer.

I'll have to look up the relevant codes later, but you are partially correct, Junior Hard Duty is permitted in limited lengths for adapters, tails and splitters.